Political, environmental, war, murder, greed, religion, economics, ethics, ignorance and hatred. This anime references just about every real life issue of the 21st century. All in one episode! I never thought I'd see the day.

Reading way to much into it. It's relavant but not that specific. (also Bush has been out of power for over four years. and you don't have to be a gay hippie to dislike the war in Iraq)

It's just pointing our perceptions, just like how saying that the the iraq war is motivated by oil is how people conceive others on the far right.

Most people don't know that Japan went to war because of an oil embargo imposed by the US and their allies in a failed attempt to curb their expansionist imperial ambitions. Japan only needed oil because Admiral Perry and the black ships forced them to modernize and open up to foreign trade in the previous century. Prior to that they had only riverboats but after being forced to purchase foreign made ironsides and modernize their forces, by 1905 they had nearly defeated the Russian navy and would strike Pearl Harbor 36 years later.

Everything old is new again. Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it. Etc.

For me this looks like a fun show even without giving history lessons LOL

Political, environmental, war, murder, greed, religion, economics, ethics, ignorance and hatred. This anime references just about every real life issue of the 21st century. All in one episode! I never thought I'd see the day.

Reading way to much into it. It's relavant but not that specific. (also Bush has been out of power for over four years. and you don't have to be a gay hippie to dislike the war in Iraq)

It's just pointing our perceptions, just like how saying that the the iraq war is motivated by oil is how people conceive others on the far right.

Oil is too simple an answer. The Economic reason behind the Iraq war was that Saddam Hussein was threatening to start trading for Oil in Euros.

an exclusive lock on the Oil trade is one of the things that secures the US Dollar and keeps the American Economy from bottoming out like Germany in the 1930's.

It's interesting to note that Libya was secretly investigating a similar idea. and the nations he contacted about it... well can you say 'Arab spring?'

Most people don't know that Japan went to war because of an oil embargo imposed by the US and their allies in a failed attempt to curb their expansionist imperial ambitions. Japan only needed oil because Admiral Perry and the black ships forced them to modernize and open up to foreign trade in the previous century. Prior to that they had only riverboats but after being forced to purchase foreign made ironsides and modernize their forces, by 1905 they had nearly defeated the Russian navy and would strike Pearl Harbor 36 years later.

Everything old is new again. Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it. Etc.

For me this looks like a fun show even without giving history lessons LOL

Japan needed Oil because it was a rock with no natural resources and because their response to Perry and similar behaviour by the other European powers of the time was to out European the Europeans. This is why in anime set in the time frame you see a clash between Japanese in traditional and European dress. Why all faiths other than shinto were temporarily repressed in favour of a state religion. etc. you can see this happening in the background of many Meiji era anime and in hollywood's 'The Last Samurai'

I'm sure Korea and Manchuria were glad the of the oil embargo. Even though the Western powers weren't doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. New kid was getting slapped for intruding on the Western Gangs 'turf'.

only in the loosest sense. Any economic comparison with the real world is going to mention oil. The world economy can be viewed as a giant engine for turning Oil into garbage. If that suddenly stopped there'd be a lot of hardship in a lot of places. If it's not changed in less painful way soon then it will stop of it's own accord as oil get's too expensive to run the economy on.

So oil is relevant whenever you talk macro economics and the real world.

Political, environmental, war, murder, greed, religion, economics, ethics, ignorance and hatred. This anime references just about every real life issue of the 21st century. All in one episode! I never thought I'd see the day.

Reading way to much into it. It's relavant but not that specific. (also Bush has been out of power for over four years. and you don't have to be a gay hippie to dislike the war in Iraq)

It's just pointing our perceptions, just like how saying that the the iraq war is motivated by oil is how people conceive others on the far right.

Oil is too simple an answer. The Economic reason behind the Iraq war was that Saddam Hussein was threatening to start trading for Oil in Euros.

an exclusive lock on the Oil trade is one of the things that secures the US Dollar and keeps the American Economy from bottoming out like Germany in the 1930's.

It's interesting to note that Libya was secretly investigating a similar idea. and the nations he contacted about it... well can you say 'Arab spring?'

It's not supposed to be an in depth analysis. If it were I'd write a blog or something.

You are exactly right about the reasons we invaded though. Take out the guy we put into power because he doesn't listen anymore, and say we are spreading democracy. It can only do favors for the US to have more influence and to keep our imports and monetary value stabilized.

Most people don't know that Japan went to war because of an oil embargo imposed by the US and their allies in a failed attempt to curb their expansionist imperial ambitions. Japan only needed oil because Admiral Perry and the black ships forced them to modernize and open up to foreign trade in the previous century. Prior to that they had only riverboats but after being forced to purchase foreign made ironsides and modernize their forces, by 1905 they had nearly defeated the Russian navy and would strike Pearl Harbor 36 years later.

Everything old is new again. Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it. Etc.

For me this looks like a fun show even without giving history lessons LOL

I hope you're at least actually Japanese to throw that much historical revisionism about Japan out :p

Most people don't know that Japan went to war because of an oil embargo imposed by the US and their allies in a failed attempt to curb their expansionist imperial ambitions. Japan only needed oil because Admiral Perry and the black ships forced them to modernize and open up to foreign trade in the previous century. Prior to that they had only riverboats but after being forced to purchase foreign made ironsides and modernize their forces, by 1905 they had nearly defeated the Russian navy and would strike Pearl Harbor 36 years later.

Everything old is new again. Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it. Etc.

For me this looks like a fun show even without giving history lessons LOL

Japan needed Oil because it was a rock with no natural resources and because their response to Perry and similar behaviour by the other European powers of the time was to out European the Europeans. This is why in anime set in the time frame you see a clash between Japanese in traditional and European dress. Why all faiths other than shinto were temporarily repressed in favour of a state religion. etc. you can see this happening in the background of many Meiji era anime and in hollywood's 'The Last Samurai'

I'm sure Korea and Manchuria were glad the of the oil embargo. Even though the Western powers weren't doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. New kid was getting slapped for intruding on the Western Gangs 'turf'.

Yes, the european uniforms. They carry over into the anime school sailor uniforms today. Early anime was also about a lot of cultural clashes, cultural assimilation, a lot because of what was happening to them.

Manchuria may have been glad of the oil embargo against Japan but that didn't really help them. Russians, English, Japanese, they were not exactly left alone before or after the Japanese were there... Koreans either, even today.

To get back to the actual quotes in the subtitles, Japan doesn't have a lot of fertile land either so that remark probably hits home for them. They import most of their food. Was bizarre to go there, go out for shabu shabu and find that Canadian beef was the cheapest thing on the menu when it is halfway around the world away. Japanese food is always more expensive which is backwards to most places where imports are more. I love the place, absolutely love it but living on a rock is sure hard...

Most people don't know that Japan went to war because of an oil embargo imposed by the US and their allies in a failed attempt to curb their expansionist imperial ambitions. Japan only needed oil because Admiral Perry and the black ships forced them to modernize and open up to foreign trade in the previous century. Prior to that they had only riverboats but after being forced to purchase foreign made ironsides and modernize their forces, by 1905 they had nearly defeated the Russian navy and would strike Pearl Harbor 36 years later.

Everything old is new again. Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it. Etc.

For me this looks like a fun show even without giving history lessons LOL

I hope you're at least actually Japanese to throw that much historical revisionism about Japan out :p

No, I'm not Japanese and I wasn't alive at the time or there so I don't know for sure. By going to war because of the oil embargo, I mean with the USA. They were already at war with mainland Asia before that happened of course, which caused the oil embargo. They were not nice, not innocent (not the government anyways), they did horrible things there but no one was very nice at the time. The people always pay for this stuff that governments start.

That is mentioned in this anime as well. That a war with the demons is better than a war between men. There are no magical demons here. We don't need monsters. We are monsters...

Most people don't know that Japan went to war because of an oil embargo imposed by the US and their allies in a failed attempt to curb their expansionist imperial ambitions. Japan only needed oil because Admiral Perry and the black ships forced them to modernize and open up to foreign trade in the previous century. Prior to that they had only riverboats but after being forced to purchase foreign made ironsides and modernize their forces, by 1905 they had nearly defeated the Russian navy and would strike Pearl Harbor 36 years later.

Everything old is new again. Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it. Etc.

For me this looks like a fun show even without giving history lessons LOL

I hope you're at least actually Japanese to throw that much historical revisionism about Japan out :p

Revisionism? Where?

Japan was Isolationist. Perry was credited with 'opening it'. this was done with a classic example of 'Gunboat Diplomacy'

Japan was an emerging empire in the interwar period. It was starting to Encroach on British, Dutch and American interests in the Hong Kong, The Dutch East Indies, and the Philipines. American war games at the time included a number of scenarios for attack by, or on Japanese fleets.

Prior to WWII the tensions and the behaviours between the US and Japan were not unlike ones familiar to those of us who lived through the cold war with the Soviet Union.

an oil embargo on japan would put the brakes on their territorial ambitions but... Countries don't like it when you threaten to shut off their oil.

Is that the whole story? hell no. But is it revisionist? Not a chance.

I don't see why it keeps being compared to Spice and Wolf. Besides having the same director and a similar setting, they aren't really all that alike. I'm not getting any Spice and Wolf vibes from it yet. The comedy in this show is not as "smart" and subtle as in SaW, and it is a lot more sexed up than SaW. I still enjoyed it, though. Probably my favorite new anime this season. I really like the Demon King. I love how her horns were a headband!